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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Faux Tile Floor

As we were deciding what to do with the floor in the studio our goal was a floor that would be durable, easy to clean, and inexpensive.
 

What we had to work with-
  • An unfinished basement floor- old, cracked, chipped, cement (sorry no before picture).


What we did-
  • Filled the major cracks and chips with cement filler purchased from a hardware store.
  • Hired a cement cutter to score the floor into 12in x 12in squares (a messy job).
  • Purchased 4 different pint jars of oil based wall paint in cream, sienna and brown hues.
  • Used a sponge to layer and blend the paints on the cement.


What we have now-
  •  A floor (total cost under $200) that looks like tile and is great for all kinds of art projects. No worries when paint spills on the floor or when kids color on it with markers.

What I have learned-
  • The floor is durable. It has weathered several of years of use and abuse. The only real damage came when a pool table was drug across it while it was still curing. Other than that any little dings and chips are barely noticeable and seem to blend in with the paint colors used on the "tiles"
  • If we were to do this again we would  have the cement scored just enough to see an impression rather than cutting down through it. Our cuts are deep enough for little things to fall into. It is also deep enough that it looks like the floor is in need of grout between the squares. Otherwise I have loved my faux tile studio floor.
-Joanne


2 comments:

  1. Wow, that’s how practical a faux tile is! It takes a steady hand and accurate measurement in order to create such tile illusions. With the cement cutter, and brown wall paint in hand, everyone will believe that they are ceramic tiles perfectly laid on the floor.


    Kathy Carbone

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